Christmas Eve at Valais Air Base
by Spike626
Summary: Cipher begins to fall in love with Marcela Vasquez, aka Espada 2, but can he tell her how he feels? And how does she feel about him?


Christmas Eve at Valais Air Base

**This is an idea that I've had for the past couple months. Just thought I'd put it out here. Expect Cipher to be pining for Marcela Vasquez, though more commonly known as Espada 2, who is working undercover for A World With No Boundaries at Valais Air Base in this one-shot. Enjoy and please review!**

**December 24, 1995 8:00 PM Valais Air Base, Ustio**

The snow was beginning to fall heavily at Valais Air Base on this frigid Christmas Eve. Cipher, the famed Ustian Air Force pilot who had earned the nickname "The Demon Lord of the Round Table", was currently on his way to the mess hall to eat something. He had been trying to think of something to say to Marcela, a woman who was a couple of years older than him according to Cipher's wingman, PJ. Marcela had come to the base about six months ago, landing her Rafale M at Valais Air Base just days after Belka dropped the seven nuclear bombs on their own soil. She was looking for a job at the base, though everyone at the base suspected she was here for other reasons because of her sudden appearance. The crew in the control tower decided to let her help out there, letting her bring food and water to the crew. When Cipher first saw her a couple days later, he was instantly smitten with her. She had short, brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, a perfectly sculpted face, an hourglass figure, and an accent, which made him believe that she was from Sapin, a country just to the south of Ustio and one of its allies. Most of the grounds crew and PJ could not muster the courage to talk to her. Cipher could not believe that he had become one of the most feared aces of all time and have a kill record that almost no one could come close to, yet he couldn't find the courage to talk to a woman that he hardly knew.

Cipher was mulling over his predicament as he reached the mess hall, quickly going inside to see what they had to offer. When he picked up a tray and took a look at the selection, he thought his eyes were deceiving him! On the counter was a turkey, mashed potatoes, and a ham that was most likely for tomorrow. He couldn't believe that there was actually decent food to eat after all the slop him and PJ had to digest over the past six months. Quickly grabbing as much as he could fit onto his tray, Cipher then made his way towards an empty table and sat himself down. As he began to dig in to his food, he felt someone sit down on the same bench next to him. When he turned his head, he was stunned to find Marcela sitting next to him, who was seemingly waiting for him to notice her arrival. He then looked away from her, beginning to blush because of how close she was to him. _'What do I do?! She's this close, but I have nothing to say!' _His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a delicate hand on his chin, slowly turning his head back towards her. She then leaned in and, to Cipher's complete and utter shock, kissed him fully on the lips. After a few seconds, she pulled back with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Cipher not knowing what to do after such a surprise. "W-why did you do that?"

"I've seen the way you look at me, quickly turning away before I notice. If you like me, why didn't you just talk to me, '_Mr. Demon Lord'?_"

"W-well, I guess I'm just not good with women. Never was. That was my first kiss, actually."

"Really? Well you'll probably have many more in the future. Though not with me."

And just like that, before Cipher could comprehend what that statement meant, she had left. When he noticed that she had gone, he quickly got up and ran as fast as he could towards the exit. When he pushed the doors open and ran outside into the freezing air, there was no sign of her anywhere. When he spotted a retreating figure beyond the fence, he quickly ran towards the base's exit, hopping over the fence. When he turned around towards the direction she went, there was no trace of her anywhere. He then kicked some snow up, cursing himself for not being able to catch up with her.

When Cipher got back inside and sat back down on the same bench, he felt a piece of paper in his pocket. When he opened it, it read:

'_Dear Cipher, I know you must be feeling disappointed and saddened right now, but there were reasons why I had to leave. You see, I'm not who you think I am. I can't go into why, but be on your guard tomorrow, as there will be an attack on your base by my organization. Please don't follow me, as I may have to be part of this attack. I hope that you can forgive me. Merry Christmas and I love you, Marcela'_

Cipher then crumpled up the note, feeling confused and saddened. He knew that he had to tell PJ and the rest of the base about this, but it was hard for him because he loved her.

"Hey, Captain. What's that in your hand there?" Cipher then turned around and saw his wingman and friend, Patrick James Beckett, though everyone called him PJ.

"Just a letter from my parents, wondering how I'm doing." Cipher had lied, he had no parents as they were killed when he was little, but he didn't want to tell him what had happened with Marcela yet.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to bed soon. I'll see you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, by the way."

"Merry Christmas to you as well PJ. See you soon."

With that, Cipher and PJ parted ways, and Cipher was still torn about whether to tell the base what Marcela had written in her note. After contemplating what course of action to take, he knew he had to do the right thing and tell the base what she had written.

As Cipher walked up the stairs to the top floor of the control tower, he walked in to find that the men on duty had fallen asleep. Before he went to tell them what had transpired, he reached into his pocket, but much to his horror, there was no note inside. _'It must have fallen out when I was walking over here! No one will believe me now!' _Cipher then walked back to his quarters and lied down on his bunk, not knowing what to do since he had lost the note. Little did Cipher know of what was to transpire tomorrow, and how the aftermath of what he had to do would haunt him for the rest of his life.

**Well, what did you think? I've never seen this pairing before, so I thought I'd give it a shot! I'll be marking this as complete for now, but I could continue this as another story if anyone wants me to. Please review to let me know!**


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